Container



June 22, 1943. H, J. MESSlER 2,322,535

CONTAINER Filed June 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l H. J. MESSIER CONTAINERJune 22, 1943. 2,322,535

Filed June 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 40 I Ln?! 4 am] gig em PatentedJune 22, 1943 UNITE D STATES FAT E N T O F F-I'CE.

CONTAINER Homer J. Messier, NewBedford, Mass.

Application June :25, 1941, Serial No. 399,635 =3 Claims; (01. 220-4)This invention relates to an improvement in] ice cream containers, .andmore particularly in;

containers of the type used by dispensers of ice cream to hold cans ofice cream in .the refrigorator.

cans of pasteboard, pulp or the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide containers which areplaced in the refrigerator and into which the cans are freely set andheld in position for easy removal of servings of the ice cream, usuallyby spoon orscoop. Feature of this invention include the provision ofmeans which restrain the tendency of the cans to rotate as the servingsare removed, of prongs which are embedded in the walls of the cans whenof pasteboard or other perforable material, and of removable supports bywhich thecansmay be held in easy serving position.

One embodiment of this invention will be set forth in the followingdescription and in the drawings which form a part thereof, and inwhichFig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a container embodying thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of suchcontainer;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, of thelatching means in the open position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken along the line l--4 in Fig. 1,illustrating the support fora can;

and

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of such support.

The container l shown in the drawings comprises a base H and a pair ofshells or cylinders l2 mounted on the base II and preferably connectedthereto by rivets or similar means. The cylinders l2 are similar inconstruction, each being of resilient sheet material, for examplestai-nless steel, and of a size to receive two cans each containing twoand a half gallons of ice cream. In the drawings the left-hand shell orcylinder contains two such cans while the right-hand shell or cylindercontains asingle can |5 resting upon a suitable support, to be describedlater.

The wall of each cylinder I5 is divided by a horizontal slot I6(extending through substantially half the periphery) and preferablydisposed in a plane which is approximately one-fourth the distance fromthe top to the bottom of the cylinder into an upper and a lower section.The lower section has a plurality of holes I! arranged in a horizontalrow substantially at the mid-height of the cylinder, and also hasopenings l8 at the bottom thereof left by the formation of tongues 19which are bent outwardly and downwardly and receive the rivets forsecuring the cylinder to the base Each container |2 has a peripherygreater than that of the cans it encloses so that the walls of the canare in most part out of contact with the wall of the cylinder and theholes i and ope |'8 admit air freely so that the cylinders areventilated. Moreover, the space between the walls of the cans and thecontainers is suflicient to admit the bails, tongs, or other instrumentsby which the cans are handled. Since the ice cream is usually removed byscoops, spoons or the like, it has heretofore been necessary to hold thecans stationary by hand. This is difficult, particularly when the cansare full.

In accordance with this invention the upper section of each container isdesigned to form a contract-ible collar 20 by which the upper can isfri-zctionally engaged peripherally to restrain the tendency of the canto rotate. Preferably the collar is of appreciable vertical depth tosupport the wall of the can and prevent injury to it by the scoops orspoons. The form of collar 20 shown in the drawings includes a mainportion .211 which forms a continuation of the lower section-and a pairof arms 2| and 22, the inner ends of which are integral with or attachedto the main portion 20 The lower edges of the arms 2| and 22 are boundedby the slot I6 and their proximate ends are separated by a gap extendingdownwardly from the top of the cylinder to the slot, said gap beingdisposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the remote ends ofthe arms and resulting from the removal of a portion of the ma terial ofthe upper section of the container. The upper edges of the main portion20 and of the arms 2| and 22, and the proximate edges of the arms 2| and22, are reinforced by band 23 and .24, consisting, in the illustratedembodiment, of bent-over flanges of the material.

The arms 2| and 22 are connected by a strap 25 passed under portions 26and 21 respectively of the bands 24. A portion of the arm 2| is struckoutwardly to form an integral loop 28 and one end of the strap is passedthrough this loop and its tip 29 is bent back over the outer facethereof. A latch 30, pivoted between brackets 3| fixed to th arm 22, isconnected to the other end of the strap 25 by a pin 32 passed through aloop 33 formed at that end of the strap.

The proximate edges of the arms 2| and 22 are bent inwardly at one orboth corners to form inwardly directed prongs 35. When the latch isopen, as shown in Fig. 3 and on the left-hand cylinder in Figs. 1 and 2,the arms 2| and 23 are in register with the wall of the lower portion ofthe cylinder so that the cans l5 may freely enter the cylinder. Uponclosing the latch 30, the upper can I5 is engaged closely by the arms 2|and 22 so that its tendency to rotate is friotionally opposed. If, as isnow usually the case, the walls of the can are of pasteboard, wood, orother penetratable material, and the prongs 35 are employed, such prongswlil be embedded therein and serve as a further and positive means forholding the can at rest. The ice cream can thus be easily removed fromthe can by a scoop, spoon, or other implement without the necessity ofmanually holding the can stationary.

The amount of force exerted by the arms 2| and 22 is determined by thelength of the strap 25 between the loop 28 and the latch 30. This lengthcan easily be varied by increasing or decreasing the length of the tip29 which is bent.

over the loop 28. When the length of the strap 25 has been determined,the portion 26 of the band 24 on the arm 21 is forced inwardly againstthe strap 25 to prevent any movement thereof relative to the loop 28.The portion 21 of the band 24 on the arm 22 is, however, raisedsufiiciently to serve as a guide for the strap while the lower edges ofthe bars fil near the ends thereof are formed notches 43 which receivethe lower peripheries of the holes I! and thus hold the support 40 inposition.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited theretoand that changes may be made in the elements of the described embodimentor other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A container of the kind which is employed for positioning a tubularice cream dispensing carton in a refrigerating chamber and whichcomprises a base and a vertically disposed, opentopped cylinder ofresilient sheet material, said cylinder being of a normal internaldiameter exceeding that of the carton which it is designed to hold, thecylinder being of a depth suflicient to hold a plurality of superposedcartons, characterized in that the cylinder has a circumferential slitextending approximately half way around it at a distance from its upperedge such that the slit is intermediate the top and bottom of theuppermost of said cartons, and a vertical gap reaching from its upperedge to the slit, the gap being disposed substantially symmetricallywith respect to the opposite ends of the slit, th slit and gap defining'two peripherally extending, flexible, resilient arms integrally joinedat their remote ends to the body of the cylinder and whose proximateends are separated by the gap, the proximate end of the arms havinginwardly direct-ed prongs designed positively to engage the cartonthereby to prevent its rotation, and releasable clamping means unitingthe arms and operative to draw their proximate ends toward each otherthereby to constrict them about a carton disposed within the cylinderand to force their prongs into holding engagement with the carton.

2. A container of the kind which is employed for positioning a tubularice cream dispensing carton in a refrigerating chamber and whichcomprises a base and a plurality of vertically disposed, open-toppedcylinders each of resilient sheet material and each of a normal internaldiameter exceeding that of the containers which they are designedrespectively to hold, means rigidly securing the cylinders to the base,each cylinder being of a depth sufficient to hold a plurality ofsuperposed cartons, characterized in that each cylinder has acircumferential slot disposed in a plane substantially one-fourth thedistance from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, and each cylinderhaving a vertical gap extending from its top edge to the slot, the slotand the gap defining a pair of peripherally extending. flexible andresilient arms integrally united at their remote ends to the cylinderand having their proximate ends spaced apart by the gap, each cylinderhaving a plurality of peripherally spaced apertures centered on a planesubstantially half way down from the top edge of the cylinder, asupporting spider comprising parallel bars united by a diagonalconnector, each of said bars having opposite end portions each designedto enter one of the apertures in the cylinder wall, the spider, when sopositioned, constituting a support for holding a carton in the upperhalf of the cylinder, each cylinder being provided with clamping 'meansoperative to draw the proximate ends of its arms inwardly intofrictional holding contact with a carton in the upper part of thecylinder.

3. A container of the kind which is employed for positioning a tubularice cream dispensing carton in a. refrigerating chamber and whichcomprises a base and a cylindrically curved, open-topped, hollow shellof resilient sheet material secured at its lower edge to the base and ofa horizontal sectional area exceeding that of the carton which it isdesigned to hold, characterized in that the shell has a peripheral slotspaced from its upper edge a distance substantialiy equaling one-halfthe depth of the carton, the shell also having a gap extending from itsupper edge to the slot, the gap and slot defining two arms whoseproximate ends are bounded by the gap and whose remote end areintegrally joined to the body of the shell, one of said arms having anattaching loop at a point spaced from the free end of the arm, aflexible strap having one end portion extending through said loop andbent; thereby to connect the strap to the arm, each of said arms havinga loop closely adjacent to its free end, the strap extending across thegap and through both of said latter loops and to a point adjacent to theremote end of the other arm, and a latch lever pivotally secured to saidlatter arm and to the free end of the strap, said latch lever beingactuable to apply constricting force to the strap for drawing theproximate ends of the arms toward each other thereby to clamp themfirmly against a carton arranged within the upper part of the shell.

HOMER J. MESSIER.

